- demands dissolution of committee probing ouncil workers
By John Dike, Osogbo
Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke of allegedly victimising, intimidating and dehumanising some local government workers over their perceived political affiliations.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, on Tuesday, it alleged that the State Local Government Service Commission had constituted a committee to investigate council workers suspected of supporting the APC during the August 15, 2026 governorship election.
The APC described the alleged action as “inhuman, barbaric and unconstitutional”, and called on Governor Adeleke to immediately disband the committee.
According to the party, the committee, chaired by Mr Tunji Adeleke Jnr, had begun inviting some local government employees to appear before an investigative and disciplinary panel at the Local Government Service Commission complex in the state Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo.
The party alleged that some of the affected workers were asked to produce their mobile phones, which it claimed were subjected to searches for communications with APC members before and during the governorship election.
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The APC further alleged that the committee was examining issues relating to banking transactions and seeking information about workers who might have accounts with United Bank for Africa (UBA), amid the ongoing dispute between the state government and local government officials over council allocations.
“Tongues are wagging across the state and beyond among the right-thinking members of the society as to the justification behind the action of any arm of government to have subjected its staff to victimisation, dehumanisation and oppression because of their political belief,” the party said.
The opposition party also alleged that some council workers had been questioned about their political activities, whether they voted for the APC in the August 15 election and their alleged relationships with APC-backed local government officials.
It further claimed that some workers had been threatened with dismissal, suspension or other disciplinary measures because of their perceived political affiliations.
The APC said such actions, if established, would raise questions about the distinction between legitimate administrative investigations and what it described as political surveillance.
“It is beyond the constitutional authority of any tier of government to punish its staff for exercising their political choice at the ballot box as Nigeria’s electoral system is based on the principle of secret voting,” the statement said.
The party argued thatdetermining how an individual voted could not ordinarily be established simply by examining a person’s mobile phone or bank statement.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of the prolonged dispute over the control and administration of Osun’s 30 local government councils, with the state government and APC-backed council officials taking opposing positions over the lawful authority to administer the councils.
The APC has consistently challenged aspects of the state government’s position and accused the administration of taking actions against workers perceived to be sympathetic to the opposition.
The party also recalled that, in May 2026, an organisation known as the Association of Concerned Local Government Workers alleged that more than 400 council employees had been suspended or removed from the state payroll for allegedly working with APC-reinstated local government officials.
The APC urged Governor Adeleke to “immediately reactivate all the local government staff accounts that have been deactivated for salary payment” and halt what it described as intimidation of council workers.
It also demanded the immediate dissolution of the committee investigating the affected employees, describing the panel as acting “ultra vires”.
The party maintained that local government employees should be allowed to discharge their official responsibilities without being subjected to political discrimination based on their choice of political party.
